The perks of being a knight
by orangefish19
Summary: After Lady Marian's mysterious disappearance Regina is forced to leave Storybrooke to save herself from the town's slaughter. Now the town is once again in danger and in need of a hero, can the woman in red with tattoos in both arms who resembles a certain brunette they once knew save them? SWAN QUEEN eventually.
1. Chapter 1

_After Lady Marian's mysterious disappearance Regina is forced to leave Storybrooke to save herself from the town's slaughter. Now the town is once again in danger and in need of a hero, can the woman in red with tattoos in both arms who resembles a certain brunette they once knew save them? SWAN QUEEN eventually._

**Warnings: I don't own Once Upon a Time.**  
**First fanfiction and decided to start with Swan Queen, because why not? **  
**Thank you for reading!**

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It was late at night and Regina was still awake, recalling the events that transpired after that walking stick with blonde hair messed everything up by bringing Robin's wife back from the dead. In her defense, or not, she didn't even remember sending Maid Marian to Hades realm in the first place, but that was in the past, or so she thought.

Immediately after the happy couple reunion, and the most boring true love speech she ever heard in her entire life given by the Charmings, and that's saying something, she awkwardly left the diner to go home. The brunette had come walking with Robin and Roland, so her way back would take longer than she was comfortable with. She was just about to give in to magic and flick her fingers when she felt warmth in her left hand.

"You promised, remember?" Henry had followed her. He didn't let go of her hand, something that brought a little touch of warmth to her rapidly braking heart.

They were now walking hand in hand to the Mayoral mansion.

"I thought you didn't mind after you found out your _mother_ possesses magic, as well," she couldn't help the venom in her voice as she addressed Emma as Henry's mother, she regretted it, though. She was trying so hard to change, and accepting that that unsuccessful project of a witch was an important part of her little boy's life now was one of her main goals, "I'm sorry".

"I'm not entirely sure which one you're apologizing for, but I accept it," he said with a smirk alarmingly like the one Emma Swan used to give her when she thought she had been clever, Regina found it cute on her son.

"Are you okay? I know you had a thing going on with Robin", Henry made a face when the mental image of his mother _doing things_ with the Merry men's leader hit him, maybe he should've listened to Emma and avoided watching so much TV after 11pm while they were on New York. It was too late now though, but he couldn't help but being grossed out when his mother was involved in the act.

The boy was pulled out of his thoughts when his mother responded weakly, "I will be Henry, you don't have to worry about me", she then gave him a small smile, but sincere nonetheless, "but I'm glad you do".

He returned the smile "good, because I'll always worry about you", he then squeezed her hand to give emphasis to his next statement, "because you're my mom and I love you".

Regina felt the tears she had been holding back since the beginning of this crappy evening fall, and she was immensely glad she wasn't crying over some love affair that went wrong, but because her son grew up to be a young man with a good heart, despite having her darkened one raising him for almost ten years. "I love you so much Henry, you'll always be my one true love".

"And you'll always be mine, but I want you to be happy, and if it's not with Robin then it'll be with someone else, you just have to be patient," he had so much hope inside him, it was refreshing.

Regina gave a slight chuckle not quite believing her son, but not telling him otherwise, his innocence was something she intended to keep for as long as she lived, "maybe one day".

They had reached their destination now, and he asked if she wanted him to spend the night, "it's not necessary Henry, I think you should go back to the party," she said giving him a tight hug, "I'll be fine by myself," really, she just wanted to feel sorry for herself with some dignity.

Henry knew that, so he gave his mother a quick kiss on her cheek and started walking back to Granny's, "love you mom, good night".

"Good night, little prince".

* * *

A few hours and half a bottle of apple cider later Regina found herself in front of her fireplace, felling a little bit better because she knew her son loved her as much as she loved him. They'd had a lot of difficulties these past few years, but now everything was working out for the best. In the back of her mind she was aware that someone like her couldn't have everything, she learnt that in the hardest of ways. But she was satisfied with what she had and she intended to keep it that way, even if she had to make an agreement with Emma on how to raise Henry, she was dreading the moment very much.

Just as she was about to stop moping around and go to bed and have a well-deserved beauty sleep she heard loud pounding coming from her main door. The brunette was a bit wary of whom it could be this late at night.

When she opened the door a breathless Henry stood there with both hands on his knees trying to satisfy his need for oxygen, when he could breathe normally again he spoke so fast Regina almost didn't understand him "Marian has gone missing and people are coming here to try and release her from you". Regina's heart dropped, her son believed she would be capable of harming Robin's wife after their reconciliation earlier in the night.

Henry could immediately tell what his mother was thinking because her eyes lost some of the spark he had seen earlier, "I KNOW you didn't do it, and that's the reason why I'm here before they are," Regina released a breath she had been holding for way to long, her son still believed her, but then dread immediately followed.

This couldn't be happening, why was her life so damn complicated? "I don't know what to do Henry, I can't run, otherwise they'll think I'm guilty, which _I'm not_".

Henry could hear David's strong voice from afar and so could Regina, but they ignored it for now. "There's no other way mom, thy will hurt you!" Henry was yelling now.

Regina was on the verge of yelling too, "Henry, you know I can't leave, I can't leave you!".

Henry was crying now, it was a sight she didn't appreciate when it wasn't happy tears, "I'd rather have you gone then have you dead". It was spoken with so much force she took a small step back.

The last thing she noticed before feeling an excruciating pain go through her body and losing conscience was his eyes shining gold.

Great, her son has magic and she only finds out because he somehow transported her into another realm to save her life from the fairytale league of justice.

* * *

**And here we have the first story I ever wrote, I just couldn't take this idea out of my head, so I thought why not lose my fanfiction virginity to Swan Queen.**

**English is not my first language, so all mistakes are mine.**

**Please, tell me if you like and I'll continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing she noticed was the magic, so powerful she felt a little bit dizzy just by feeling it. She couldn't quite tell where it was coming from, but it definitely wasn't from anyone she knew.

Regina got up with some difficulty and hissed in pain when she started walking, but she would be damned if she didn't find a way back to her son. The gold that shined in his eyes could only mean one thing and she was desperately hoping the wrong people wouldn't notice it. But knowing Rumple as she did, the brunette was sure the imp would catch on to her disappearance and reach a conclusion soon enough.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you", Regina turned quickly, what only worsened her pain, and created a fireball, to have it extinguished immediately after. Before her stood a young blonde woman wearing perfectly white clothing that hung to her body. The blonde woman reminded her of someone Regina was currently trying very hard to hate, but for God knows what reason she couldn't, maybe imaging _that person_ in such tight attire had something to do with it. '_Was she hallucinating? Had she started to daydream about Emma Swan? Really?' _Just when she started questioning her sanity the blonde spoke again. "I've never seen you around here before, and to be honest I'm really impressed you managed to reach this part of Hellaren."

Regina was trying, and failing, to use her magic to protect herself against this unfamiliar warrior. Because that's what she looked like, wielding a sword made from some material she did not recognize and exuding magic that could not go ignored. It was like the warrior's magic was blocking hers. "Who are you? And what is this place?" She demanded as she assumed a somewhat queenly posture.

"I really don't think you are in a position to ask questions before you answer mine. Now, who are _you_? And what exactly are you doing _here_?" the blond said. '_Did Snow White have another child that she was unaware of?'_ The stranger created a fireball. Regina tried and failed again to invoke her magic.

"I don't know where _here_ is and I have no idea how I ended up in this place, and I _definitely_ have to intention of staying", reveling that her son was the reason she was here didn't seem like something she should share with this stranger, "so, if you would be so kind as to leave me alone, I would be eternally grateful", she was smirking now, maybe some attitude would put the woman in her place.

The warrior had just started saying something when they were suddenly engulfed in a fog.

Both stared at the redhead woman who stood in front of them after they were magically transported. Regina could feel the magic now, it definitely belonged to her.

"I see you found her, Taureas" she got closer to the pair "hello Regina, my name is Gaia. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person".

Regina was speechless for a moment, _how does this woman even know me? _The woman, Taureas, seemed confused as well. She appeared to know the redhead woman, but from what Regina gathered, the blonde was as disturbed as Regina to find a stranger wandering the land. She wasn't _looking_ for anyone.

"What is happening? Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"As I've already told you, my name is Gaia and we are in Hellaren ", the brunette was definitely feeling intimidated by this woman, but she would be buried alive and become worm food before admitting that to anyone "and as for you other question… I think we need to take a seat".

* * *

Henry was shaking. '_W__hat have I done?' _The poor boy couldn't find an explanation for his mother's sudden disappearance. He could hear his grandparents along with Robin Hood making their way over to the mayoral mansion, they would be sorely disappointed.

"Where is she? Where is Marian?" Robin said somewhat constricted. The boy could tell that Robin was trying very hard not to lose his shit. Henry could hear his mother's voice in his head commanding him to be the _good and polite _boy she raised him to be and not curse, but this was an extreme situation and he was very much stressed, she surely would understand. He thought, as he was sure she would _not_ understand and he would probably be grounded for cursing in his thoughts. He already missed her.

"I... I… don't know, she is… she is gone", Henry was quietly crying as his grandfather put an arm around the boy and embraced him. "She was... here, but then magic took her and now she is gone".

"Marian? Regina took her with magic?" Snow asked with a worried expression, '_how could Regina do this? After all the progression she's done!_' Snow was really distressed, she was starting to believe Regina once again.

"NO!" Henry yelled as he tried to disentangle himself from David, "you are all accusing my mother and you don't even know if she was the one to do this!" Snow was looking at him with a hint of something he couldn't quite place, could it be pride? "She wasn't, she just told me and I believe her".

"How can you be so sure Henry? She's done so many bad things in her life you can't even begin to comprehend, _she is a monster_!" David was able to drag everyone's attention back to him with the statement, including a weary Snow White. "What? You don't agree?" He was looking at Snow with betrayal in his eyes, "She is the reason why our lives are a living hell!"

"I just gave birth to our second child, David. Is that really how you see our lives?" Snow started pacing, "Things can be different of how we wished them to be, but we have our family, our friends and I'm happy, aren't you?"

Robin interrupted the beginning of what seemed to be an old disagreement between the almost always happy couple, "I'm sorry, but Marian is still missing and now Regina is missing and I'd like to think there isn't a connection between their disappearances, but I'm finding it very hard to believe. So, if you know where your mother is Henry, I'd like to make sure she is the innocent woman you claim her to be".

"I don't know where Regina is, but I'm here". The silence that followed could make everyone think they'd lost their hearing function.

After a few seconds, a very confused Robin Hood whispered.

"Marian?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, thank you so much for reading!**  
**I want to introduce Emma's side of the story in this one, hope you enjoy.**

**Once Upon a Time doesn't belong to me, if it did Swan Queen would've been cannon ****since episode 1**

**Please, review and let me know if you are enjoying!**

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"Emma, you found her!" Henry was felling slightly better now knowing that his mother would no longer be accused of being a murderer, but how had his other mother found the thief's wife?

"Yeah, I was wandering around the woods and the Savior found me there", Marian was once again reunited with her husband, it seemed like destiny was working on their favor after years of separation. "Where is Roland?" she couldn't contain the urge to have her entire family together again.

The same could be said about Robin Hood, he couldn't contain the relief of having his wife back in his arms once again. The thief couldn't deny the connection he'd made with Regina while they were on Storybrooke, but it couldn't be compared with the deep kind of love he shared with Marian, she would always be the one. He was willing to try and give Rolland a chance of having another mother and he truly believed Regina would be this person, but when he saw his wife in the diner right in front of him, his heart knew immediately what it wanted. "The old lady from the diner is taking care of him and the little prince, he is safe", he kissed her tenderly, "I thought I'd lost you once again, what were you doing in the woods?"

"I can't say I know" she looked truly confused, the Charmings could tell. "I left the diner to get some fresh air and suddenly I was into the woods, I couldn't find my way back no matter how much I walked", her embrace with Robin got a little bit tighter, "It seemed like I was trapped".

"Magic… I just happen to know _someone_ who could be responsible for your disappearance", David said while looking at Marian.

"What is wrong with you today? Why would Regina be responsible for any of this while _she_ is the one who is missing?" Snow was fuming now, whether it was the postpartum hormones or the dense line of thinking or her husband, she couldn't tell, but two things she knew, Regina _changed_, she knew it in her heart, no matter how lame that sounded and the second thing was that David was sleeping on the couch that night.

David seemed hurt, since when did Snow not validate his opinion when it came to the right thing to do? He was sure his assumption wasn't unfounded. Sure, Regina had helped them defeat Zelena, but it was in her best interest that Henry was safe from the wicked witch. If Henry wasn't involved she would gladly see them burning in a fire pit, if she wasn't the one to light it in the first place. But now Marian was here and safe… "maybe you're right Snow, but regardless of anything we need to find her and ask her what she knows about why Marian was taken into the woods".

"Where is your mother, kid?" Emma had stayed quiet during the entire exchange until now. When she first heard that Marian had disappeared, like Henry, she assumed everyone would go after Regina. The blonde wasn't in the good graces of her majesty at the moment, and she figured that showing up at her front porch the same night she practically brought Regina's future husband's wife back from the dead wouldn't be good on her health so she went after Marian instead. She was sure Regina didn't have Roland's mother trapped in her house.

Gosh, the thought of Regina walking down the aisle while holding Roland's hand to a happy Robin Hood made her sick to her stomach, but she couldn't help but feel bad for the brunette, she seemed happy, even if it was with that smelly thief.

"I don't know, she wa… she was here and then she wasn't", Emma embraced her son, how could she ever think that keeping Henry away from Regina was a good thing, it was clear that the boy loved his mother, '_hell, they broke a curse together for Christ's sake Swan_', "I think I made her disappear, mom", he was in so much pain, how could he think he was responsible for any of this?

"No, Henry! It wasn't your fault", she looked down at him and smiled, "wherever you mother is, we are going to find her and she is going to tell you how much she loves you, none of this is your fault", he looked up at her and smiled back, they were going to find her.

"But Emma, you never told us why you went after Marian" Snow was looking at her daughter with an expression that could only be described as pride, her little girl had grown into a good daughter, a good mother and a good friend, even without her help, this sobered her up a bit, but wasn't enough to take away the smile from her face.

"When I first heard that Marian was gone I assumed that you guys would think that Regina was the one to blame" Emma was looking at her father now "I couldn't let this happen, not after everything we've been through", David looked down at his feet "she is changed, I can see it, I believe it, _I believe her_".

"But Emma, how can you be so sure?" Snow was the one to ask her, one thing was her belief on Regina, another was hearing her daughter defend her vehemently after their shared past in Storybrooke.

"I know it, I just… know it" Her daughter wasn't so different of her after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, sorry for the delay. Finals are something really unnecessary, why can't professors just trust I know stuff? Hope you enjoy. I don't own OUaT.**

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They were in what seemed to be a living room, she wasn't sure. The women were sitting in a sofa facing each other without saying a word, Regina couldn't take it anymore, "so, is anybody going to tell me what is actually going on?" she was really losing her temper, "because I have the impression you think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be".

"And you're right", Gaia said before taking a sip of wine Regina refused to drink "I've being waiting for you to be ready".

"Ready for what?", _could this people be more annoying?, _Regina was trying, and failing, once again to use her magic to try and get away of this situation, she growled internally, _why isn't my magic working?_

"You're going to exhaust yourself if you keep doing that", Taureas said with a little smirk on her face, _she thinks she's being charming, these idiot blondes, _Regina couldn't help but roll her eyes before it dawned on her what the blonde had said. "Your magic is useless against us", she stopped for a moment and seemed to be in deep thought before adding "_you're_ useless to us, why is she here?" Taureas was looking at Gaia now with sincere curiosity in her eyes and Regina was looking at the blonde with the patented Evil Queen stare, but the blonde seemed to ignore it. If Regina couldn't use her magic to put this Power Ranger project in her place she was sure going to use her bare hands to reach into her heart and crush it in the most agonizing way she could imagine.

"The Red Knight shall arise from darkness and emerge into the light, and their power must come directly from the source of it all". Gaia professed this as she had many times, and now it was finally happening.

"It can't be… it can't be _her_". Taureas was shocked, she had heard the prophecy since she was a little girl. This woman who couldn't even surpass her magic and revolt against them couldn't possibly be _The Red Night_.

"She is the one", Gaia said with certainty.

"But Goddess, are you sure?" Taureas trusted Gaia's judgment, if someone knew who the knight might be, it would be Gaia, but everything had its limits.

"Goddess?" That was definitely something Regina wasn't expecting, _who the hell were this people? _"And what is this talk about a knight?"

"Many years ago everything you might know as magic was separated into light and darkness, there was nothing in between. Both sides were led by extremely powerful spirits who couldn't be near one another. They hated every single aspect about the other and in order to survive people had to pick a side. Adair, the dark spirit, chose to rule the West Land, and everyone who followed him had to go there, and the opposite was true, Laurel, the light spirit, ruled the East Land, and her followers were headed that direction."

"Let me guess, they fell in love and the product of their affair was a true love's child, which I'm presuming is you, and now you are the Goddess." Really, it was not that difficult to imagine this situation. Apparently even extreme opposites could find love, maybe destiny took joy in her suffering. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Taureas snort and give her a devious smile.

What Taureas said next attenuated Regina's bad first impression from the duo, maybe she could like them after all, even the annoying blonde. "Gaia killed then both and absorbed their power and now she is the Goddess of magic".

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**Review if you like, or don't like, give me your thoughts.**


	5. Chapter 5

"So you mean to tell me that you managed to kill the two most powerful sources of magic at some point in time, absorbed their powers and became a Goddess", Regina was very skeptical about any aspect of this sentence and she was openly showing her disbelief.

Gaia knew she would need much more to convince Regina of her destiny, but for now she only needed the former Queen to trust her. "It wasn't exactly like that…" she paused for a second to glare at Taureas, the blonde could be insufferable sometimes, "it was actually a compromise on both sides. I don't know what made them reach this conclusion, but I guess loneliness had a big part in it".

"I never heard of this tale before and I was surrounded by magic my entire life, at least Rumpelstiltskin would have told me". The brunette reasoned, if someone knew the details about the origin of magic it surely would be the imp.

"Rumpelstiltskin… it's been a while since I've heard that name", Gaia spoke with a hint of despise.

"You knew him?" Regina wasn't one bit surprised.

Gaia nodded. "I'm not sure the current Dark One knows who I am, but yes, I met the original. He was a brave man".

Regina scoffed at that, "Rumple could be described as many things, but brave isn't one of them."

"Oh no, he had to be brave to do what he did… what I did". The redhead paused, Regina had to know everything in order to understand.

* * *

Henry refused to leave the mansion, he had to make sure that his mom knew he didn't want her gone. So he was in his bed, pretending to be asleep so Emma would stop asking every five seconds if he was okay. Of course he wasn't, he somehow made his mother disappear, what if she was hurt, what if she was… no she was fine, she would come back and find him, because that's what his family does, they find their loved ones, and Regina was his family.

His mother seemed heartbroken at the notion of people once again accusing her of crimes she hadn't committed, it wasn't just him though. Truthfully, when he said he believed her, he could see physical proof of her relief, but it wasn't wholeheartedly. The tense lines on her face were back almost immediately after his little trust speech when she heard people approaching. The boy wasn't sure if she was disappointed because no one in town believed her to be innocent or if it was someone specific that no longer trusted her. The brunette wasn't one to seek people's approval, after all she was one of the most hated fairytale character for a long time, so distrust wasn't an unknown concept to her. This made him think that maybe his mother was afraid that someone in particular would accuse her of being a murderer.

Robin Hood was the most logical name, given her recent relationship with him, but the man seemed perfectly happy when Emma brought his wife back from the woods. He took his wife's hand and went back to the diner to pick up little Roland Hood and go their way, he didn't even offer aid to look for Regina.

To be honest, Henry didn't like him very much, he couldn't really explain why, he just didn't and Hood's latest behavior didn't help his case. It was obvious that his mom liked him at some extent, but he couldn't feel the love between them like he could with Snow and David when they were together. Regina wasn't complete with Robin, and this made Henry think that maybe someone else was the cause of her distress.

It was only a matter of time before he figured out who this mysterious person was, he was sure. In the meantime, he was going to make sure mother and son were reunited again, even if he has to go find her himself. Magic for that he _know_ he has.


	6. Chapter 6

**Longest chapter so far, hope you enjoy it!**

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"Have you heard that Laurel is choosing only the bravest to be her knight?"

"I heard there is a competition, yes."

"I'm going."

"No you're not kramir, you're only going to get yourself killed."

"Why do you have to be like that, Gaia? I can be a knight, I've trained my entire life for this." After the death of their parents Gaia was the only one to look after him, she taught him how to defend himself in case someone attacked their little property in the east side of Hellaren, what turned out to be quite common in the last years.

She taught him how to sword fight and how to throw a good punch in the chin, what she didn't know is that Kramir had been perfecting his abilities in the local tavern most of the locals used and that heavy gambling was involved.

Three months ago, after his seventeenth birthday, some of his friends convinced him to have some drinks at the local tavern, he was almost an adult after all. His sister would be out most of the night helping some woman across town delivering a baby, it wasn't like she would find out.

The first thing he noticed upon arriving was the lack of people. One of his friends, Javir, asked a patron that didn't have the courage to abandon his precious beer what was happening. The man could barely form a coherent sentence but was able to point at the barn just outside the tavern before passing out.

That was the first time he saw that kind of raw brutality. There were drunk men yelling and cheering, betting with gold coins for the one they thought would survive the fight that was taking place in the middle of the barn. A bald muscular man, with a scar that crossed his chest, was holding the head of a severely beaten and probably drunk patron, he said something to the man that couldn't be heard from Kramir's place before taking a hold of his hair and beating his head repeatedly to the ground killing the man.

After making sure the patron was dead by lifting him once again by the hair and letting his lifeless body slump to the ground, the bald man started scanning the place for his next opponent.

When his piercing blue eyes found Kramir's green ones, the boy could feel the blood being drained from his face and all of a sudden he couldn't breathe. Once the drunk patrons identified him as the next target they all started yelling again and betting for the current champion.

The seventeen year old was pushed to the center of the barn and given a sword to defend himself. Zuri, he only found out the man's name because it was being yelled repeatedly as a chant, was also wielding a sword. They started moving in a circular motion and after a few seconds the first attack came from Zuri, the boy was quick and was able to avoid the strike.

His sister had trained him well and he wasn't drunk, what was an advantage because apparently everyone else in the barn were, including Zuri, and when the muscled man least expected Kramir was quick enough to strike him in the throat. The man started bleeding immediately and fell to ground on his death.

That sobered up the group of men a little bit as they all stared open mouthed at the boy, the place was totally silent for a few seconds before his friends started yelling Kramir's name. After a while the patrons joined in the cheering and started chanting the boy's name as well.

After that day, every time he saw himself free of his sister's gaze he would go to the barn. He had killed more than a few patrons already and was becoming quite famous, it was a miracle his sister hadn't discovered the truth yet.

That gave him enough confidence to believe he could defeat any other warrior that tried to take the knight's place, it was a competition that by the end of the season would give whoever was courageous enough to participate, the title of Laurel's knight.

Kramir was put out of his thoughts when his sister asked, judging by her expression not for the first time, where he had been the night before.

"The child had only a minor fever because her teeth are growing, so I left right after telling the mother to give her a warm bath and keep an eye on her, however, when I arrived you weren't home. So Kramir, where were you last night?" Gaia asked her little brother with an accusatory gaze, she knew where he had been for the past months. It was naive of him to think she would not have heard of the great Kramir, the boy who could kill a giant with closed eyes.

She had not asked him directly about the fight club yet because the boy had become quite unstable after their parents death. She feared he would revolt against her protectiveness and leave to became a drunk pirate or a thieve.

If the boy didn't suspect she knew, Gaia could at least keep an eye on him, make sure he was well feed and warm at night. He was stubborn and would argue it was his life and his decisions so she just tried to be by his side for as long as she could.

Nevertheless, letting him get into a competition that would most likely kill him was not her idea of protecting her brother. A lot of people would try to take the place as knight and she was sure her brother had enough talent to defeat most of them, but some would be professional warriors, people that have been killing since before he was born, people that killed their parents in cold blood, those were the ones she feared the most.

"I was out with some friends", it was his short response.

The redhead was slowly losing her patience. "Why don't you try the truth, Kramir? I know exactly why you think you can win this competition, but believe me, you can't."

Her brother stared hard at her, something he had never done in his entire life before adding, "so you know, good". He started pacing and when he stopped he captured her gaze and declared with finality, "there is nothing you can do about it, I'm going to compete and I'm going to become the knight. I leave tonight".

"You don't have to leave, Kramir. Stay here, please." His sister was bagging, but his mind was already made.

"You can't be part of this Gaia, I have to do this on my one terms." He gave her a tight hug, which she returned with equal force, "I love you".

"I love you too little brother".

When she woke up the next morning Kramir had already left, he only took a few clothes and a piece of bread she had received as payment for her services as healer the day before. Usually she would help deliver a baby or take care of minor injuries with ointments, but it was enough for her and her brother to survive. But now she was alone, maybe not completely, her worry would accompany her until this damned knight was chosen.

Oh, how she hated the concept. Kill one another until only the best would triumph and become the ruler's henchman. She had no idea why Laurel would need a knight, she was powerful enough on her own. Maybe she was tired of dealing with humans and wanted someone to intermediate her communication or maybe she was creating an army, who knows.

The only thing she was sure was that her little brother could die in the process and she would not be able to defend him.

* * *

Gaia had been accompanying the competition from afar when she heard it.

Her brother, her seventeen year old brother, had been killed by a 7 feet tall, monstrous man called Rumpelstiltskin. That was the only information she had, but it was enough. That night she cried herself to sleep and promised in the middle of heavy sobs that that would be the last time she would cry, because by the morning she would enter this competition with only one goal in mind.

Kill Rumpelstiltskin.

By the middle of the next day she was already facing her first opponent. It wasn't easy as competition was almost over and most of the weaker competitors had already been killed, but she was determined. With a final strike, cutting deeply her opponent's gut and effectively killing him she left the arena for the day with multiple cuts and bruises.

Gaia spent the next two weeks facing different warriors, one stronger than the other, but none of them was the one she was craving to see the blood in her hands. She was ready to give up physically, she probably had some broken ribs and two broken fingers not to mention the bruises that covered her body and potentially internal bleeding. She was exhausted. However, one thing kept her going, the man who killed her little brother was going to pay.

* * *

She was successful and reached the final part of the competition.

Rumpelstiltskin was waiting for her on the other side of the arena while thousands of people cheered. Laurel, the light spirit, had made herself present and it was probably the first time most of the citizens had seen her. The magic was palpable at her presence, today her knight would fight to take their rightful place.

Gaia wasn't looking forward to became the knight, the only thing she wanted was to avenge her brother. And avenge she did.

It was a tough fight, Rumpelstiltskin struck her several times, almost killed her, but every time she would put herself on her feet and try again.

He got distracted looking at the audience cheering for him for just a second, he was certain he would kill her in his next strike. Gaia used this moment to cut his throat, unaware at the time that this was the way her brother took his first life, and killed Rumpelstiltskin.

Her mission was complete, she had avenged Kramir. The pain of losing her brother wasn't gone, but she was finally in peace and ready to join her brother. She put the dagger that Rumpelstiltskin had most likely used to kill him to her throat and was ready to make the final cut when it disappeared from her grasp.

Laurel was in front of her.

"You won the competition. You are the best and shall become my knight." The light spirit said with finality.

"I only entered this competition to avenge my brother, I never had the intention to become your knight". If Gaia didn't put an end to her own life in a few moments she was sure nature would take care of it for her, she was bleeding all over and could barely stand.

"I don't like insubordination and because of your behavior your brother shall never be avenged". Laurel focused her magic in the dagger giving life to Rumpelstiltskin. "He is immortal now and you will never be able to kill him, nevertheless, you will become my knight otherwise he will be able to kill you. Do you want to be killed by the same hands that put an end to your precious little brother's life?"

"If I become your knight he will not be able to kill me?" it was painful just to talk.

"No, he will not". Laurel could be the light spirit, but she definitely wasn't a good one.

Gaia would do anything to make her brother's life worth it, if she couldn't kill Rumpelstiltskin she was going to find someone who could. "Very well, do it".

It was quick, it felt like all her life was pushed out of her body and magic was put in its place. The moment it was over Gaia knew she was no longer human, she could feel the magic running though her veins. Her bruises and cuts were all gone and the only thing she could feel was power. It tainted her soul and she was sure that if it ever left her she would certainly die.

Her training as a knight started right away in Laurel's realm. It wasn't the same one she grew up in, but she also couldn't tell where it was.

Gaia learned all about magic and how to use it properly. She also improved her fighting technics, using swords, bow and arrows and her own body as a weapon.

After her training was complete, Gaia was informed by Laurel that she had one last opponent.

Adair, the dark spirit, had done the same thing on the west land, choosing a knight and training him.

That's when she discovered that the spirits had been planning this for quite some time.

Her opponent, Braudel, was as strong as she was and their fight not only included weapons but also magic. They were the only ones capable of killing one another aside from the spirits, so they fought to death.

By the end of it both were in a bad place, but Gaia's persistence was enough to keep her fighting and she was the victor, striking Braudel with a blast of all the magic she had left.

After the fight, she was faced with both spirits. They told her she was deserving of the power they would give her and that she would become ruler of all magic, except Rumpelstiltskin's. When she became indignant they told her the prophecy.

_The Red Knight shall arise from darkness and emerge into the light, and their power must come directly from the source of it all._

* * *

"That's what convinced me to become the Goddess of magic. At the time all I wanted was revenge, but once I felt the power I had after the ritual, I understood that my mission was much bigger than that. I killed them and took their essence so I would become the ruler._ I am magic_ and my mission is to keep order, otherwise Chaos would take place and all things you know would cease to exist. So in order to keep Chaos at bay I need you to fulfill the prophecy".

Gaia was looking directly at Regina and the brunette couldn't spot a lie in what the Goddess had just told her, she had to protect her son, even if she was going to do it by keeping the universe away from someone whose name was as tacky as Chaos.

"Very well then, I'll do it". She was a hero after all, wasn't she?

* * *

**As some of you might have noticed I'm using some names from mythology, but I'm in no way using actual mythology, so please don't be mad at me.**

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Do you think mom will ever come back?" Emma and Henry were on the sofa watching the third Harry Potter movie that night when the boy suddenly spoke.

Emma was going to say something along the lines of 'of course' or 'she loves you Henry' and hope to be done with the conversation but when she looked at him the words died in her mouth. Henry was silently crying, staring at the TV, but she could tell he had no idea what part of the movie was taking place.

She could feel tears forming in her own eyes, truth was, she _missed_ Regina. They had started bonding in Neverland until she screwed everything by bringing Robin's wife back with her. She didn't regret it though, Marian deserved a chance to raise her son. But Regina, she deserved better. She deserved someone who would love her and accept her, someone who would never leave her, she deserved a healthy relationship.

Maybe she hadn't screwed everything up after all.

But Henry was crying and she was crying, she had to do something about all that crying.

"I don't know what happened to your mom Henry, but I know she is fine, I can feel it. I know she is coming back, don't know when, it could be a week or a year. But I hope it's soon, I miss her." That made Henry wipe the tears from his cheek and give her a little grin, like he knew something she didn't.

"I know, I miss her too."

* * *

Regina was expecting a ritual, something that would give her all that power Gaia had been talking about.

That was not what happened.

She was informed that by the beginning of the next day her training would begin. Taureas was there, in the courtyard, looking as obnoxious as she could muster.

"I hope you are ready for what is about to begin. You will want to give up, you will want to kill me, kill Gaia. Have in mind you have a goal, you have someone to protect." Regina hadn't told them about Henry, but she wasn't surprised the knight knew about him. After she went to sleep, both women stayed, probably talking about the details of her training and her life.

"I don't give up easily". Regina was going to do this, not a single soul could demotivate her of protecting the ones she loved… one she loved, one, Henry. She wouldn't think now about other people she wanted to protect. She didn't care for the two idiots, Robin certainly didn't care for her so why should she bother, and Emma, she wouldn't think about Emma now, shouldn't think about Emma.

The woman was slowly introducing herself into Regina's heart, infuriating as she was. In Neverland she had wanted to be her friend and Regina was almost ready to let her, they would talk once they rescued Henry and everyone was safe and they would form a friendship, because of their son of course. But then the blonde had to ruin everything by bringing Marian back to life. Somewhere in her heart she didn't blame the blonde for helping someone in need, someone her past-self had _killed_, but she didn't want to be in contact with that particular part of her heart at the moment, maybe in the future, maybe they still had a chance to form a friendship, maybe they could even…

Her internal monolog was interrupted by a punch in the face. She fell to the ground from the force of it, her nose hurt and when she touched it she confirmed it was bleeding and probably broken. "What was that for, you brutal?" she still couldn't use her magic, it probably was for the best though, because she would end Taureas life otherwise.

"You weren't paying attention, you lose focus, you die. That was just a warning". Regina wanted the wipe the smirk from the blonde's face with the force of her stare, but it apparently wasn't working as usual so she settled for standing on her feet and stop daydreaming about Emma Swan in the middle of her training.

"I see you already started without me" Gaia seemed happy about her bleeding nose, why these people took comfort on her suffering was beyond her.

"You said I was going to be powerful, when are you going to give me the magic?" She was becoming quite impatient.

"You need to become a knight first, Taureas will help you with that. She is my best knight and the head of my army, she will teach you everything you need to know."

"We will start with your body, I will teach you how to kill someone without using weapons or magic."

Regina felt a spark of panic surging, she wasn't some damsel in distress, but her magic was what made people fear her. The brunette didn't know much about physical force aside from the occasional punch to the face…

Her distraction earned her another punch, she wasn't sure her cheekbone was intact after that.

"We will start by paying attention to what is around you and not getting distracted". Taureas was becoming impatient while Gaia only observed.

"I'm paying attention now" another punch.

"Protect your face, when I throw you a jab you will punch my forearm making it go in the direction of the ground, saving you from my attack and opening space for yours". Taureas demonstrated how the defense should be made and how the subsequent attack should be performed. They spend the morning practicing martial arts and the afternoon improving Regina's physical resistance, what consisted basically of running and lifting heavy things.

Regina was exhausted by the end of the day, she was shaking all over and her muscles were ready to give up. Her nose had stopped bleeding, but it was still hurting and she was pretty sure she had a black eye.

"You seem rather tired" Gaia said as she approached the duo, but she was talking directly at Regina seeing as Taureas seemed to be ready for more 48 hours uninterrupted of the same torture. Regina was sure she would die if she had to stand up now.

"I'm fine" She even put on a smile.

Gaia laughed loudly and waved a hand over Regina, making all her injuries disappear "I'm sure you are now".

The next days followed pretty much the same protocol, martial arts by the morning, physical resistance by the afternoon and Gaia's magic by the end of the day turning the training for the next day possible.

Until the day Regina's body was strong enough to dispense the magic cure.

Once she was able to keep up with Taureas using nothing but her body they started introducing weapons. Regina needed magic once again to stop the blood loss from the cuts.

But the brunette was a fast learner and in only a few weeks she was able to reach the end of the day with only a few bruises.

"We will keep up your knight training Regina, but you will be using magic from now on" Gaia informed her.

Regina was expecting a ritual to take place, she really was, but again that didn't happen. Instead she was knocked down to the ground by a blast of magic from Taureas.

"How am I supposed to use magic if I can't?" Regina yelled at the two. "I've been trying for weeks, but it seems as though I can't reach it. I thought you would give it to me!"

"It's all inside you Regina, since the moment you were born. You just need to find the right incentive to use it. Concentrate. You have greatness."

She tried emotion when the next blast came, she tried thinking of Henry, but the force was too strong. She was on the ground once again.

She wouldn't give up, she couldn't give up. There was a not-so-little-anymore boy that loved her, needed her protection. So she stood and thought of Henry.

She could feel it, her magic. She could feel it getting stronger and more importantly, she could control it once again. So when the next blast came she was able to divert it but she wasn't able to fight back.

Regina was aware that if she wanted to become a powerful knight, she would need much more than to divert magic that Taureas wasn't even sweating to perform. So she went to the depths of her heart and looked, hard, for who else besides Henry could provide her with emotion strong enough to make it possible for her to fight back.

Weirdly enough, she saw herself.

A younger version of herself when she still had hope, when she had endless capacity for love and when she still loved herself.

When a blast of magic strong enough to knock Taureas unconscious came from her hands she was thinking of herself. She had done so many wrong things in her life, but she couldn't change that, didn't want to change that. Those things gave her Henry. But Regina had the duty to protect him now, she was going to become the hero he somehow believed her to be and the one thing that was going to make this whole ordeal possible was becoming a believer. She believed in herself that moment and that was going to be the key to her ascending as the Red Knight.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so so sorry for abandoning you guys for so long. It was my last year of college and I really had to focus, I probably read more scientific journals this last year than fanfiction, and that is saying something. **

**Since I pretty much stopped writing this story 11 months ago I won't be following canon **because canon sucks**. I really appreciate your follows and reviews and I intend to finish this story now that I finally graduated and have time because I'm currently unemployed. I have ways to survive, don't worry.**

**Again, I'm sorry for the delay and I hope you like where I'm taking this story.**

* * *

Henry was at school, trying to pay attention to what his teacher was saying. Something about how the human heart had four chambers. But his heart wasn't in the explanation.

All this heart talk was able to achieve was to remind him that his mom was still missing.

After her disappearance eleven months ago, he'd done everything in his power to find her. He even convinced Emma to ask for Mr. Gold's help.

Emma only agreed to seek the older man's help after Henry promised not to reveal a word to him about his involvement in Regina's disappearance. They both agreed that it wasn't in their best interest to make Rumple aware of his sudden magical developments. Certainly, his grandfather would find a way to take advantage of the situation.

Now, Henry wasn't so sure this mattered anymore.

The Dark One had tried everything is his power to try and detect any hint of Regina's whereabouts, which resulted in a lot of questions and very few answers. According to Gold, his mom had been whipped out of existence and not a single sign of her could be traced. That made his initial idea of looking for her by traveling to other realms a pointless one. _Where would they even begin to look?_

That's why instead of paying attention to his teacher, he was seriously considering breaking Emma's trust in their agreement and telling his grandfather about how his mom had _really_ disappeared.

The only thing stopping him was the book. He knew an agreement with Rumpelstiltskin never ended well and his deals always came back to haunt the unsuspecting souls who were fool enough to believe the Dark One had good intentions to begin with.

He was starting to see now that sometimes desperate people have to make somewhat questionable decisions to achieve their goals. And after eleven months he was starting to realize that desperation was just one of the myriad of feelings that were slowly but painfully constricting the heart of the truest believer.

That led him to make a very questionable decision.

* * *

All Regina could see was fire.

The flames were involving her entire body and she wasn't even sure if there were any oxygen left where she stood or if the fire had consumed it all.

It didn't even matter, really, she wasn't breathing oxygen. She was breathing fire. _She was fire_.

One of the first lessons she learned from Gaia was that in order to have complete control over her magic and became truly powerful she would need to become the source of magic. Of course she scoffed at first and informed the redhead that her magic was coming from her, so she was obviously the source of it.

She almost burnt her lungs trying to pull the stunt she is performing now at the time. She wasn't Maleficent after all.

Gaia explained that every time Regina tried to put something aflame or change appearance she evoked her magic to do so. And that was normal for someone who was learning magic for the first time. Using emotion in order to control the intensity of magic was acceptable for anyone else, but apparently not for her. If she wanted to create a fireball, she would have to put all of her into it, essentially becoming the fireball. So every time she so much as released the fireball she would have total control over it, independently of her mood.

She had control over magic, not the other way around.

So here she stood, aware of everything around her even if she couldn't see a thing.

Taureas was currently trying, and failing, to break through her massive fire wall. After she grasped the concept of her being the source of magic, she no longer had difficulty surpassing the blonde's magic. She was finally much more powerful than any other magical being in any realm.

She was also a skilled warrior. Not as great as Taureas, but she could definitely survive in a war and that was enough.

She felt her fire wall weakening and she immediately knew she was no longer dealing with Taureas, but with Gaia. She stood her ground though and released more fire. It was a good thing there was no one around except for them.

Suddenly, the fire was gone.

She knew that Gaia had taken magic away from her. As the source of magic she was the only one who could do that to Regina's magic. And that irritated Regina to no end.

"Was it too much for you? That you had to cut me off of my magic?" Regina said with a smirk.

"Actually, it was", Gaia said laughing. "We would have gone like this for eternity if it was up to you, that was no stopping you otherwise".

That picked the brunette's interest, "Does that mean that I'm ready? Is my training finally complete?" Regina loved this new side of her, in complete control of her life. But she missed her son and was aching to hug him.

Gaia told her she couldn't afford anyone knowing the Red Knight had been found without risking Regina's life or her family's. Before her training was complete, Regina could be killed by someone more experienced than her, a Chaos soldier, and not even Gaia would be able to stop Chaos if Regina was dead.

So she had completely disconnected herself from her family. Some part of her even missed the two idiots and _the idiot_. She smirked a bit at the thought.

"Yes, your training is complete" Gaia said and Regina had to take a deep breath in order to stop herself from crying, "but…" Regina glared at that "I ask you to keep secrecy about your real identity until it is completely necessary for you to reveal who you truly are".

"Why?" Regina was becoming very impatient. She had learned a lot these past few months, she was a better person, but her essence couldn't be taken away from her. "Will I be able to go back to Storybrooke?"

"Yes, but I have yet to know who Chaos is and I want to use the element of surprised with him, to keep the less possible number of people from dying", Gaia sighed and looked at Regina like she was going to say something the brunette definitely wouldn't like, "because once magic taints the heart of the truest believer, Chaos will start his revolution, that is how he will arise. I'm glad you're a fast learner Regina, because by now I'm sure he already has an army and he's just waiting your son to use magic again to find him".

Regina felt the rage that had abandoned her a few months ago resurging, but she reasoned it was better to listen to the entire speech before acting. She could comprehend why Gaia was telling her this only now, she would have abandoned her training to go and protect her son otherwise, but everything would be compromised if she didn't succeed. She could comprehend it, but she still felt betrayed nonetheless.

"Regina, before you can protect your son and magic from Chaos, there is one last step in your training you need to take" Gaia seemed truly regretful, Regina hated her less because of it so she stayed quiet, even though she wanted to yell.

"You need to kill Rumpelstiltskin".

* * *

**Regina will be going back to Storybrooke next chapter!**


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